Emperor Makes His Debut On Neosignal With The Shadow EP

Posted by Ed on 28th March 2017

Emperor is a figure in drum & bass whose name very much reflects the power and magnitude that embodies the music he creates. One of the contemporary kingpins it can be certain, and a powerhouse in both the DJing and production dualism that drum & bass is bound by.

With the monolith success of his recent EP and LP on industry leader Critical Music, the next step for Emperor, as it would be for any artist with such an established discography, would be a difficult one. However, difficulty aside, I am in no way surprised that his chosen camp was that of Phace & Misanthrops very own Neosignal. One of the leading Neurofunk imprints, it was certain Emperor had found himself somewhere he could truly develop and cultivate his raw and bestial Neuro sound.

Certain it was. The 4 track Shadow EP is all you would expect from an Emperor release on Neosignal and more. Title track Shadow is an energetic and gruff stepper. No simple repetitive features, excellent arrangement and keeping true to many of the other releases on Neosignal, you can understand why this track was chosen to embody the EP as a whole.

Following up from Shadow is the aptly named Tireless, as I have yet to grow tired of listening to it. This is one of my favourite Emperor tracks to date and just ticks all the right boxes. A myriad of aggression, militance, funk and technicality all merged into one violent sonic masterpiece. Two breakdowns, three drops, each bringing something slightly different into the mix render this track a molten hot weapon, capable of igniting dance floors and faces alike.

The other two tracks, Defect & Calypso, as excellent as they are, were somewhat overshadowed by the sheer force of the other two aforementioned tracks, that is not to say they are not without merit. Defect is a true technical masterpiece, an audiophile’s dream. Although it could be mistaken for a Tentacles remix (not inherently a bad thing) this track is a wonderland of all manners of mad shit. Not massively DJ friendly (much like Tentacles) yet this is still a banger. Calypso on the other hand is a different kettle of fish. A progressive growler, and a fierce one at that, this piece is one for the screw face is massive and is reminiscent of an age in drum & bass gone by, but with a modern polish and shine that set this track apart.

All in all this release is exquisite. A variety of styles are present throughout the release without diverting to far of course from the Neosignal trademark. A sterling producer meets an equally sterling label, this is not one to sleep on. Available at all good digital retailers now.